One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

[omg]

abel, could you briefly compare the Ultra 12m to Solo 12m; turning speed, board speed, low end, high end and jumping, please? I know this is a bit OT but pls bear with me.

[Greenturtle]

I own a 12m Solo (2.8 kg) and a 12m Ultra (2.4 kg).
Those 400 g, structure and shape, make a significant perceivable difference.
Since I had the Ultra after the Solo, I almost forgot the frequent swim in sessions that I had with the Solo (in similar <10 knots conditions).
It is quite easy for me to compare because there is an area in front of the buildings named by the locals the "Black hole", where the Solo always dropped no matter what I did.
In contrast, many times I managed to maneuver the Ultra in that same Black hole and keep it back in the air, even the kite was almost touching the water.
My personal non biased (I hope ) experience.

Um.... my 12m v2 solo weighed 3.4kg ... my 9m v2 solo weighs 2.7kg
No bag, no dirt/sand, brand new...
Soooo a lotta discrepancy between our measurements abel

[Wielandt]

Like Abel I have experience with both Solo and Ultra. Before I used Solo 9 and 12 for foiling and now Ultra also 9 and 12. Ultra’s never fall out of the sky due to lack of wind, which could happend with the Solo’s.

[Strekke]

How are the ultra's in the waves, compared to dedicated wave kites?

[alexrider]

Has anyone tried both Airush Ultra and RRD Emotion Mk3?
I am very happy with my Airush Ultra 9, but looking for a 12 m one strut for fun foiling and some wave riding, I'm hesitating between the 2 brands. The RRD 17 I tried shortly was quite good and surprisingly clean (hardyy any flutter) in very light air, but was difficult (I have little experience of tube kites) to prevent from falling when little powered and low in the window (perhaps a characteristic of all LEI kites compared to foils).

There is a number of one strut kites on the market but it is hard to find the information about the actual weigth of those kites, an exception being Airush. Basically, I am looking for a (reasonably priced) one strut kite for foiling and general riding that is as light as possible but can also survive an occasional tomohawk and wave action. I have a list of some popular brands and their one strut kites and sizes (I am sure there is more). It would be great if you could share information about the kite weight and also your impression of the kite.

• Airush Ultra 5 (1.7 kg), 6 (1.8 kg), 7 (2.11 kg), 8 (2.19 kg), 9 (2.28 kg), 12 (2.8 kg), 15 (3.4 kg)
  ....
• RRD Emotion 3, 5, 7, 9, 10.5, 12, 14.5, 17 (3.6 kg)
  ....

[abel]

I own a 12m Solo (2.8 kg) and a 12m Ultra (2.4 kg).
Those 400 g, structure and shape, make a significant perceivable difference.
Since I had the Ultra after the Solo, I almost forgot the frequent swim in sessions that I had with the Solo (in similar <10 knots conditions).
It is quite easy for me to compare because there is an area in front of the buildings named by the locals the "Black hole", where the Solo always dropped no matter what I did.
In contrast, many times I managed to maneuver the Ultra in that same Black hole and keep it back in the air, even the kite was almost touching the water.
My personal non biased (I hope ) experience.

Sorry, me bad memory!
Solo 12 V2 and V3 3.4 kg
Ultra 12 2.8 kg

[abel]

abel, could you briefly compare the Ultra 12m to Solo 12m; turning speed, board speed, low end, high end and jumping, please? I know this is a bit OT but pls bear with me.

Turning speed - Ultra faster
Pivot radius - Ultra smaller
Board speed - Solo maybe a bit higher
Low end - Ultra lower
High end - Ultra higher
Can't tell about jumping as I'm not doing it with HF yet ( )

[Peter_Frank]

I think the Solo has the best lowend of these, it has amazing grunt

But very low upper end/windrange, so not that good for foiling IMO, but better than many heavier kites eventhough it is on the heavier side of the lighter kites yes.

PF

[Peter_Frank]

I put the numbers into a spreadsheet (not shared, at least not yet), in no particular order.

Not taking anything under 8 m2 into account - maybe 8 and 9 should also be omitted as weight hardly as interesting when that windy, but for lightweights and hydrofoil it can be interesting.

Also put two of my older "normal" kites in, for comparison - they are not as heavy as pure freestyle kites, they are even heavier.

Would be great to get some "user weights" into this thread - I have noted where it is us users who has weighed the kites.
I know there has been a similar sheet earlier, but it was made with some generations older kites and also "resized" which is not good nor possible IMO...

Some focus ONLY on weight - be careful, as when the kites are sufficient light, they will maybe hang in lulls and wind where you can not ride, but could also be more unstable/flutter and weaker.
And bottom line is, that a well designed heavier kite flies way better than a poorly designed superlight kite, also in light winds.

Peter

[Osprey1]

Any word on which one of these kites boosts the best? I love jumping on my HF and I’m in the market for a new 12m. Currently I have the Naish Trip which isn’t really the best for boosting big on my foil.